Possession is Nine Tenths of the Law
by Little Kunai
Summary: A Decepticon attack had left 11-yr old Cali an orphan, now 15 and adopted by Ratchet, a freak accident with Barricade has unforeseen complications.
1. Prologue

**Possession is 9/10s of the Law**

I do not own Transformers, but Cali is mine

* * *

**Prologue**

_Four Years Ago_

_ Callista stared curiously at the brightly colored jets that came closer to the ground, she called her little brother over so he could see too and that was when her world fell apart._

_ She shrieked in terror as an explosion rocked the house, trying to reach her parents, her little brother. Anyone. Dust clouded the air, mingling with the hot smoke of a fire that had started in another part of the house. _

_ Dustin wailed, crying for his parents and the ceiling cracked and crumbled, there was a shriek and she couldn't hear him anymore. An ominous feeling came over the eleven year old as she crawled, deliberately trying not look at the corpses of her mother lying in a pool of blood on the carpet, , her brother's legs beneath the slab of roof tears streaking her face. She finally got to the door and gulped in deep breaths of the chilly November air. She barely registered the strange metallic noises as she collapsed on the ground. _

_ Ratchet hurried over to the young human femme, spark clenching as he ordered Bumblebee to check for other survivors in the house. There were none._

_ He had taken her back to base when the fight was over and the Decepticons had retreated, tended to the wounds. She was a pretty thing, long black hair and deep tanned skin from playing in the sun, she suffered from smoke inhalation, a large gash on her forehead and a sprained wrist. She was lucky._

_ When she came too, she was frightened, of course she'd known about the alien robots, like any other kid and it had taken a while for them to calm down and make her realize that they would not harm her._

_ Optimus noticed that Ratchet took special care to sooth her at night when her nightmares woke her up, he noticed that Jazz would come in and playing calming music to help her get back to sleep, Bumblebee and Bluestreak went out of their way to try to cheer her up when she cried for her family. The child had grown attached to her rescuers and Ratchet in particular and the government officials and social workers had wanted her to go to an orphanage._

_ It took a lot of jumping through legal hoops, gaining official citizenship status, calling in a few favors from well established connections and an irate social worker who'd been kicked in a very sensitive place by Cali while under the protection of the fierce CMO but they finally managed to legally adopt her._

_ There were conditions of course, the child had to be seen once a month by social workers, Ratchet had had to prove that he was keeping her healthy and sound, they had to find out ways to get her to and from school without causing a panic and she'd had to be evaluated for emotional and psychological trauma, which gave Ratchet's young charge a deep loathing for therapists. But the Autobots felt like it was worth it in the end._


	2. The Month From Hell Stalker

**Disclaimer:**

**I do not own Transformers, Starbucks or Doritos but all OCs are mine**

**The Month From Hell; **

**Stalker**

_4 Years Later_

* * *

"Ya ready yet shorty?" Jazz called.

Cali groaned. She didn't want to go to school, where she would be mercilessly harassed by other kids and picked on by the evil harpy who taught math. Seriously? Was it some kind of prerequisite for math teachers to be mean? She could remember one she really liked in 4th grade, but Mrs. Joeng took the cake. She was perhaps the most hated teacher in the entire school.

She got decent grades in almost all her other classes and all A's in English but math was her bane, not even Wheeljack or Prowl had much success trying to help her out, but such was life.

She spat out the minty foam in the sink, tightened the flannel around her waist, fastened the choker chain around her throat, pulled on her fingerless gloves and bolted out the bathroom door.

"Cali did you finish your math homework last night?" Ratchet asked.

"Yeah." She answered. Well, she'd finished most of it anyway and she was sure 1 or 2 answers wouldn't affect her already dismal grade.

"What about science and history?"

"Done."

"Good girl. Lookin forward to seein that report card."

Her brown eyes narrowed. She was so not looking forward to it.

She loved Ratchet like a dad, (her real dad left when she was seven and her step-dad had been a class a jerk) but his long lectures drove her up the wall.

He noticed her look.

"Cali, I'd really like to see you get your grades up in math."

She sighed.

"It's not for lack of trying Ratch." She muttered.

"I'll see if Prowl can lend you a hand later."

Tutor time with Prowl? Oh goody. He was very patient with her but his dry way of trying to explain things tended to make her mind blank out. She personally preferred Wheeljack over Prowl, since he had a knack for making any lesson interesting, but he had been busy fiddling with their security systems, much to Red Alert's dismay.

She tossed her backpack into Jazz's interior got in the front seat and they headed off.

"Ya don't look to happy missy. What's goin on? That Angela chick still buggin ya?" Jazz asked.

"Yeah a little." She grumped.

_ "_More like a lot." Jazz admonished. "Sunstreaker told me he saw her and her lil' crew harrasin ya."

She was glad she was wearing long sleeves today. It hid the finger shaped bruises on her forearm.

"Sunny told me to punch her in the face, but I can't cause she hasn't laid a hand on me yet."

_Not like she ever would, Angela may have been a bitch but she was a coward, if she wanted someone beat down, she'd get someone else to do it for her._

Jazz began flipping stations before settling on a rap and RnB station.

"Ya can't keep letting' em treat ya like that Cali." The saboteur grumped.

He knew she didn't have that fighting spirit, she was plenty mouthy but physical confrontations made her freeze up.

"I know."

"Ya mentioned it to Ratchet?"

She scoffed, "What the hell can he possibly do? He can't exactly stomp in there and have a "friendly chat" with her and principal." She wiggled her two fingers in the air for emphasis.

She snickered at the mental image.

_Too bad, cause she would love to see Perfect Princess Angie pissing in her pants when she got a good look at Ratchet. Heh, look at that! Alliteration._

Jazz lent out a vent of frustration, it was a well kept secret that Cali had been adopted by the Autobots and the term adoption was used loosely, while the adoption papers were as legal as they were gonna get for being forged they were strictly for the official records and several of the "government social workers" assigned to the unusual case would still love an excuse to renege that, pointing out that a traumatized young girl could not possibly lead a normal life with giant alien robots at war.

The general public was only just beginning to get used to them and Optimus was pretty sure the humans wouldn't react well to them having one of their young ones in their care, especially when they were being terrorized by the Decepticons.

With the advent of advanced holograms they had managed to get Ratchet or one of the other Autobots to important meetings with the school, doctor's appointments and the like, but the holograms were still being perfected and the user had to be calm or the illusion would shatter and when the medic went into Papa Wolf mode…

"You think he'd be cool if I go hang out with Stephy after school today?" She asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Stephy had been her best friend since 2nd grade and she was also one of the few privileged people to know the truth about Cali's adopted family.

Optimus had argued that Cali would need a strong support base after the attack and shouldn't be kept from her friends.

"Sure I'll pick ya both up later. Just gimme a call."

"Thanks."

He pulled up at the crosswalk and dropped her off, before she could go across he rolled down the window.

"Hey sweet spark?"

She turned around, mentally cringing at the endearment.

"Those girls mess with ya again punch em in th' face. I'll keep Prowler off yer back."

She grinned and he winked.

School was the usual everyday hell and she was glad when it was over. She and Stephy walked to her house, promptly ditched homework, played video games and when twilight began to fall went out to pick up a treat from the local coffee shop.

Lombardo's may have been classified as a small, hole-in-the-wall, kinda place but it had class. Red padded booths, polished wooden bar stools and booth, a mirror on the back wall, a jukebox and even an old timey soda fountain.

It was family owned and the owners, a man in his mid 50's and his daughter were long time friends of the family.

"Hey! How's my girls huh?" He leaned over to give them each a hug.

"Hey Mr. Lombardo." They chorused.

"You turn sixteen yet? Gina'll give ya a job. Couple a pretty girls like you'll bring more customers." He nodded balefully at the Starbucks across the street.

He patted them roughly on the arms and they laughed.

"What'll it be today?"

"Usual." Stephy said.

"Green Monkey and a bagel." Cali grinned.

"Comin right up." He got them their drinks and bagels and went to go tend to another customer.

Cali took a deep slurp of her Green Monkey.

"Sweet, sweet bliss." She sighed.

Stephy smirked, her best friend was a junk-food junkie, but a certain someone seemed determined to nip that habit in the bud.

"Papa Ratch still giving you grief about your secret stash?"

"Ugh! Don't remind me. I swear he's got some kinda freaky junk food sense! All those Doritos gone to waste!" She pretended to cry.

"Dude your such a drama queen!" Stephy snorted.

"Hey! You'd be bitching too if he took away your candy stash! I swear he's tryin to kill me!"

"He'd take it over my dead body!"

"Yeaah good luck with that."

They laughed.

Gina arrived a moment later, looked pissed. She slipped off to the back and had a conversation with her dad.

"Little punks! I swear kids these days aint got no respect for nuthin! Gotta destroy everything in sight!"

"What's wrong Mr. Lombardi?" Cali asked.

"Some little shits broke a window and graffited the back of my shop. Gonna make an old man like me get down and scrub it off. I got arthritis, Gina's pregnant again!" He threw his hands up in disgust.

"Anything we can do?" Cali asked.

"Naw it's o-"

He looked at them calculatingly.

"You girls wanna make some money?"

"Oh…well…we don't wanna take your-" Cali began.

Stephy kicked her.

"You think I'd ask ya to do it for free? Whaddya take me for! A cheapskate?" The old man sounded offended.

Cali sunk a little.

"Sure, we'll help." Stephy amended.

Stephy grimaced when she saw how much graffiti was at the back of the shop. She desperately wanted to find whoever the hell'd done it and turn em over to Prowl for punishment.

Scrubbing it off completely took more time then they thought, by the time they were done, it was nearly eleven.

"Shit I forgot to call Jazz!" She flipped on her cellphone and cussed some more.

"It needs to be recharged."

"Mine too." Stephy groaned.

"Shit!" She repeated. "Ratch is gonna kill me!"

"Look, we'll just walk back to my house, it'll only take us like 25 minutes IF we haul ass." Stephy said.

They went in, got paid and started hauling ass. Cali had always taken a sort of strange comfort and thrill in the night, but now she was starting to feel nervous.

They weren't even halfway there, when she noticed a man staring at them from across the street, under the flickering street lamp. She felt that nervous feeling playing in her gut.

"Stephy," She whispered, "we shouldn't go that way. That dude's givin me bad vibes."

"Relax. We can take him, I've got a knife and some pepper spray." She didn't sound too sure though.

She hesitated for a sec then turned back the way they came, dragging her friend behind her.

"Is he following us?" Cali asked.

Stephy looked back. The man was gaining on them.

"Yes."

"Creep!" She broke out in a cold sweat.

They picked up the pace and began knocking frantically on the door of the coffee shop. Hoping Mr. Lombardi or Gina was there.

Gina let them in.

"Did you forget something?"

"No, but there's this guy following us." Cali whimpered.

Gina scowled and beckoned them in.

"Get in quick and call your parents!" She thrust her phone in Stephy's hand and peeked at the window nervously.

"Gina what's going on?"

She muttered something in his ear and the old man growled.

Cali sat down and stared at the door, she felt a deep dread inside as the man walked up to the glass and tried to open the door.

"We're closed for the night sir!" Gina snapped. Tapping the closed sign on the window.

He tried again.

"Hey! She rapped on the door hard.

"Did you hear me? I said we're closed!"

He stared at Cali and Stephy.

Stephy winced and held the phone away from her ear as her mom yelled.

Something about his eyes gave her a sharp jolt and she ducked her head.

"You need to leave or I'll call the police!" Mr. Lombardi told the man.

The man sneered at Gina and finally walked away.

"Jerk!" She said.

"Alright my mom'll be here in a few minutes." Stephy breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry Gina and thanks."

"You two've gotta be more careful. You never know what kinda creeps are running around out there." Gina said sharply, though her dark brown eyes betrayed her concern.

Cali and Stephy grinned weakly.

"We'll stay here till your mom comes. Okay?"

"Thanks Gina."

When Gina went to get herself some water, Stephy bent her head close to Cali and whispered.

"I got good news, bad news and more bad news. Bad News, Ratchet's pissed and you are in deep shit when you get home."

"What's the good news?"

"Good News, you can use your cash to bribe the guard."

"Ha ha."

"More Bad News, he's sending Prowl to pick you up."

"Slag!"

"Shh!" She elbowed her.

When her mom showed up, they were given a long lecture for staying out so late and not calling.

Prowl was waiting in his hologram form. He looked disappointed and stern.

She picked up her backpack and homework and walked back outside.

"Good luck."

"You'll come to my funeral right?"

"Sure. I'll even toss a bag of Doritos on your grave." Stephy smirked.

"Nice." Cali said wryly.

She minced up to him.

He "opened" the car door.

She got in.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Prowl letting her discomfort build, before he opened up the long wave comm.

"You have some explaining to do young lady!" Ratchet sounded really, _really _angry.

_ Oh boy. Here we go. _She thought.

"Why didn't you call Jazz?" He demanded.

"I…forgot." She admitted.

"You _forgot_." He said caustically, "And why didn't you call when you remembered?"

"Phone's almost dead."

"Where the slag were you?"

"Coffee shop."

"All that time?" He asked disbelievingly.

"We were helping Mr. Lombardi clean some graffiti on the back of his shop." Cali decided now was not the time to mention they'd been paid for it.

Prowl smiled a little. He'd verify that in the morning.

There was the sound of Ratchet grumbling in Cybertronian.

"We'll talk about your punishment and your report card when you get home!"

"Fine!" She snapped.

Prowl had stopped at a traffic light and she stared out the window moodily when she felt that uneasy lurch in her stomach.

"Hey I think it's that guy!"

"What guy?" Prowl asked.

"There was this creep that was following me and Stephy on our way home. I freaked out and we ducked into the coffee shop to get away from him."

Prowl gave the man a menacing glare, he could see better then she could. There was something about him that sent off warning bells in his processor.

"I don't want either of you out this late." He warned.

"If you see that man again you call me immediately. Do you understand?"

"Is…is he a Con?" She asked, shrinking down in the seat.

Prowl observed him further, while it was plausible that the Decepticons had replicated Advanced Hologram Technology, they would be limited to how far their original bodies were and there were no suspicious vehicles in sight.

"No, I don't think so."

Still she couldn't help but notice that Prowl was moving along a little faster and keeping a wary eye out.

* * *

**Author's Note;**

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter**

**yes Green Monkey is an actual milkshake with banana, caramel, pistachio and i dunno what else**

**I did Not invent the phrase sweet spark just for the record, but I've been on a serious TF kick lately and I heard the term and liked it.**

**Man! I don't know about the rest of you but most of my math teachers**

**were really mean when I was in school.**

**That's gotta be some kinda almost universal thing right?  
**

**Poor Cali, this is just the start to a craptastic month **

**and sadly it's not gonna get any better.**

**So I leave you with this philosophical gem;**

_"When Life hands you Lemons, _

_cut it open, stick your finger in it _

_and poke Life in the eye._

_That'll teach Life!"_


	3. Month From Hell Tutortime & Spiderscare

**Chapter Three**

**Hell Month **

**Tutor Time and Spider-Scare**

**Author's Note:**

_For the record I AM one of these shrieky panicky arachnophobic types._

* * *

Prowl had let him know that she had been followed and had sent an image of the stranger. It might not be a Decepticon but that didn't mean the human was any less dangerous. He would have to sift through some criminal archives and see if he could find a visual match.

Ratchet was scowling and tapping his foot on the floor impatiently. She cringed a little as he pointed to his room.

"Callista you DO have a curfew and it's a school night!"

There were times to argue with the grouchy medic and times you didn't. _Callista _decided that this was a fine time to practice her cringe and nod routine.

"I know Ratch." She said meekly.

"Not only were you way over your curfew, but no one knew where in the Pit you two were! You didn't call or text or anything and then I find out from Prowl that you got some human stalking you! I'm sure I don't need to tell you what coulda happened?" Worry sharpened his tone and made his spark tighten, he didn't want to think about those possibilities.

She nodded, then cringed as he whipped out her report card.

"And what is this?"

D plus in math. Better then she thought. Kinda.

"We-hey! I mean-it's a lot better then…an F…right?"

Apparently this was the wrong thing to say.

"No and because of your irresponsibility and your bad grade your grounded, no videogames, no TV until you get that D plus up to a C! Not a C minus Cali a C!"

"Maaan! C'mon Ratch, look I'm trying I really am but I suck when it comes to math! It's like-like some kinda freaky mental block! I look at this crap and it's like everything I learned just goes flying right outta my head."

"Well you and Prowl will have plenty of time to get that crap back in your head." He said sweetly.

She hung her backpack on the doorknob and started heading towards the bathroom when she looked back and called.

"Ratch?"

"Mm."

"I'm sorry I worried you."

He smiled.

"Night."

"Night kiddo."

Ratchet took a few minutes to sink down on his berth. It had always bothered him that he didn't have enough time with her as he'd like, they both knew he was a busy mech, but he sometimes wondered if she ever felt like he was neglecting her a little. She had that little under-the-table job at the local horse stable and he'd never really gotten to see what she did there. Maybe this weekend, he could leave the med bay under First Aid's capable servos and go spend some time with his girl.

Cali flopped onto the bed and glanced at the photo of her and her favorite horse Marimba. She could use a nice looong trail ride right about now.

* * *

While Callista had been at school, Prowl verified the graffiti story and gotten information about the man from the shop owners.

At present he was trying to explain algebra and being met with the ever familiar stare of mute frustration, optics slightly glazed and leg doing a million-mile jig. He would look at the problem she'd finished and make her do it over, trying to make her explain her thought process. Her pencil began that rapid-fire tapping on her notebook.

He didn't mind helping her, but he really didn't understand why she had such a difficult time understanding something so simple and her jigging leg made him want to ask Ratchet about seeing if she had a glitch with her central nervous system.

_ Taptaptaptaptap_

"Callista please…that is distracting."

She ran her hand through her hair. Problem eleven. Frag! She needed a break. But Prowl taking a break without Jazz _making _him do it was as likely as Megatron turning into a peace-loving hippy overnight.

She snickered at the mental image of the Decepticon leader in a tie dye t-shirt, holding a sign that said Make Love Not War. She wondered if she could bribe Sunstreaker into bringing that particular image to life.

"Callista focus. You are making this unnecessarily harder then it should be."

By the time they were nearly done it was almost supper time.

"Screw it!" She muttered under her breath. "We need a break."

As if on cue, Jazz stuck his head through the door.

"You two look like you could use a little refuel."

_ Perfect timing Jazz._

"Just gimme a sec!"

She gave the SIC a smug grin before dashing off to the small kitchen, popped in a hot pocket and dashed out when it was done.

"I could use some fresh air."

"Are you having problems breathing?" Prowl asked peering closely at her.

"What? No. It means…lets go outside."

Prowl had always had a harder time understanding Earth slang and expressions then the others.

"Didn't Ratchet say those were unhealthy?" He asked.

She said something he didn't understand because her mouth was full mouth.

"What was that?"

She swallowed.

"I said, it's a lean pocket. Broccoli, chicken, whole grain. It's healthy-ish."

Jazz laughed at that.

She sniffed as a twilight breeze blew against her, taking delight in the October chill.

"Feels good huh?" You should get our more often, you miss all the little things that make life worth living."

"Like what?"

"Like a sunset or sunrise, just sitting down and listening to the birds."

"You sound like Hound." Jazz grinned.

She leaned against a tree and looked up. She blinked…was that…

Sitting there, partially camouflaged with the bark was a huge, horrible leggy spider inches from her face.

She let out a blood curdling screech

"Oh my Gods! Oh my Gods! Oh my Gods! Get it away!"

In her panicky flailing she knocked it off the tree making it half fall/half scuttle down the back of her hoodie as she let out another explosive shriek.

Clothes came flying off and screaming gave way to unintelligible cursing, the hoodie was the first to go, followed by her shirt.

The Autobots were more or less used to her deep seated fear of arachnids.

"That sounds like Callista. The Decepticons must be attacking!" Red Alert said fretfully.

Ratchet listened for a moment.

"No…that's just-Slaggit sit back down Red! That's her spider scream, she'll be alright."

"But-"

"Red." He growled.

Red and yellow rushed past.

"Where are you two going?" Ratchet called, rubbing at his face plates.

"Those two slag-heads are gonna make it worse."

"Oh my Gods! Is it on me? Is it on me? Get it the fuck off! GET IT OFF NOW!"

"Ok, hold still." Jazz tried to see.

"Stop! I can't get it if you keep mov-it's gone! No! That's your hair!"

"Is that our dear Callista making all that racket?" Sides asked, snickering.

"I believe it is Brother. I'd know that spider shriek a mile away." Sunstreaker leaned forward a smirk on his lips.

"Hey Cali! What's that on your leg?" Sides asked pointing. His face plates set in an expression of revulsion.

She slapped hard at her leg and saw the spider climbing out from her discarded t-shirt.

"Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! Kill it! Kill it!" She shot off like an automatic weapon.

So saying she ran and jumped for the nearest bot's servos. She didn't care whose. Sideswipe fumbled and nearly dropped her, laughing hysterically.

"Hey if we do a little editing we could send it to Ridiculousness. Or at least put it up on youtube." He put her down.

"Don't you dare!" She snarled, cheeks turning bright red with embarrassment when she realized she was in her bra.

The twins took off as she ran after them, spitting out curses in both English and Cybertronian.

Jazz let out the grin he'd been holding back and picked up her clothes. "I don't think you'll be getting your student back tonight Prowler."

Prowl was nothing if not determined. He went back in, made her get dressed and sat her back down to her lessons.


End file.
